


Difficult

by Verecunda



Category: Horrible Histories
Genre: Fluff, Humour, M/M, Romance, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-17
Updated: 2013-03-17
Packaged: 2017-12-05 14:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/724442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verecunda/pseuds/Verecunda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elagabalus never chooses the easy option.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Difficult

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the _Horrible Histories_ books or TV series.
> 
> A/N: Inspired by this adorable piece of fanart, [Elagabalus - Difficult](http://BeckyBumble.deviantart.com/art/Elagabalus-Difficult-262859311) by the amazingly talented [BeckyBumble](http://beckybumble.deviantart.com/). She’s got quite a few bits of HH fanart on her gallery, including several Elagabalus/Hierocles pieces which are just the cutest things ever. <3 Seriously, get over there and have a look. She’s awesome!

It was hot, even for Rome, too hot to really do anything except just lie there. Even the lion had curled up to doze in the shade, tail flicking as it slept. And after a long, exhausting morning on the track, Hierocles had been looking forward to a relaxing afternoon in the palace orchard, in the shade beneath the vines.

He’d somehow forgotten that there was no such thing as “relaxing” around here.

“Grapes look ready now,” said Elagabalus, lying next to him. “Well scrummy.”

He opened one eye and looked up at the bunches of grapes hanging from the vines, rich purple and ripe.

“So they do,” he replied sleepily. He closed his eyes, hoping to doze off, but Elagabalus had other ideas.

“I’m gonna pick a bunch. _Huhuh._ ”

“You do that...” Hierocles murmured, but any chance he’d had of taking a nap was cut off as Elagabalus’ fingers prodded him sharply in the side.

“ _C’mon_ , Hierocles! I can’t do this by _myself_! I need you to help me!”

He knew better than to argue. He’d known Elagabalus long enough to know that when he’d decided on something, there was nothing on earth that could make him change his mind. The best thing to do was to play along and get it over with as soon as possible. Anything for a quiet life - or, at least, as quiet as life could be when you were the lover of Rome’s craziest emperor to date.

So, with a sigh, he hauled himself to his feet. “So, what d’you need my help with?”

Elagabalus grinned and pointed up. Hierocles tilted his head back and saw what he was pointing at: the highest bunch of grapes on the vine, hanging well above their heads.

“So, _yeah_ , I’m gonna need you to help me up there. It’s well high.”

Hierocles groaned. “Why do you always have to go for the difficult option, Laggy? Why don’t you just have that one?” He gestured to a bunch hanging lower down on the vine, close enough to just reach out and grab.

Elagabalus just _looked_ at him. “Where’s the fun in that? It’s so much better if there’s a challenge. _Huhuhuh._ ”

“No.” He put his foot down on this one. “You are not climbing up there. You’ll break your neck!”

“Who said anything about climbing? _Huhuhuh._ ”

“Then... what are you going to do?” 

Always a question he dreaded the answer to.

Rolling his eyes, Elagabalus replied, “I’m gonna sit on your shoulders, _duh!_ ”

Before Hierocles could even think of the words to protest - something along the lines of, _no, don’t you even think about it_ \- Elagabalus was scrambling over him, and he was suddenly bent double - “ _Ow!_ ” - as Elagabalus hoisted himself up onto his shoulders, tugging at his hair to make him straighten up. Hierocles managed to catch hold of Elagabalus’ skinny ankles and, very carefully, straighten his back, his face suddenly full of purple as a fold of Elagabalus’ toga flapped in front of him. Then they were up - precariously positioned and wobbling more than a little, but up all the same.

“Oh, good,” said Hierocles sarcastically. “Much better idea. I can drop you, then it’ll be my fault when you break your neck.”

By way of an answer, Elagabalus dug his heels into Hierocles’ sides. “You are _such_ a killjoy, Hierocles. I totally know what I’m doing!”

“Sure you do,” Hierocles muttered. “Better make it quick. I don’t think I can hold you up for long.”

Not that Elagabalus weighed very much - really, he weighed next to nothing - but he was all arms and legs, and those arms and legs had a tendency to flail about when he was excited. Hierocles could feel the telltale swaying as Elagabalus reached up for the grapes. It was making Hierocles sway a bit, too, and he dug his heels into the ground and clutched tighter at Elagabalus’ ankles, praying that he could hold out, even as Elagabalus strained harder, causing them both to wobble dangerously again.

“Careful!”

But that wasn’t really a word in Elagabalus’ vocabulary, and before Hierocles could stop him he suddenly leaned up and out over Hierocles’ head. Too far. Hierocles heard a rustle, then a snap, then in the next moment, Elagabalus’ weight shifted too far in one direction, Hierocles lost his balance, and they went down with a _whump_.

Hierocles was up in a second, leaning over Elagabalus where he lay in an ungainly heap of long limbs and an unravelling toga. 

“Oh gods... Laggy? Laggy, are you okay?”

But then Elagabalus just started laughing, and Hierocles breathed an internal sigh of relief.

“ _Huhuhuhuh_ , that was well wicked!”

“It was totally crazy, that’s what it was,” Hierocles replied, the lingering worry making him sound sterner than he’d meant.

Elagabalus just grinned, and in one hand he brandished the bunch of grapes, which had miraculously survived the fall intact.

“ _Huhuhuh._ Worth it.”

The last of Hierocles’ concern melted away in an instant, and suddenly they were both laughing helplessly as they sprawled there on the grass. The lion woke up and gave them a look of complete disdain before settling back down to sleep, and the guards at the end of the orchard did their very best to ignore them.

When he’d finally stopped laughing, Elagabalus plucked one grape from the bunch. “Open up.”

Hierocles did as he was told, and Elagabalus popped the grape into his mouth. He bit down, and the juice burst against his tongue, sweet and refreshing.

“All right,” he had to concede when he’d swallowed it. “You were right. It was worth it.”

“When are you gonna realise that all my ideas are awesome?”

“Hm.” He couldn’t help but smile as he tucked a stray brown curl behind Elagabalus’ ear. “I think I’ll judge them individually.”

Elagabalus laughed again, and Hierocles was momentarily stunned by the sight of him, hair ruffled and eyes shining and smile brilliant; carelessly happy. His wreath had come off in the fall, and if it hadn’t been for all the yards of purple wrapped around him, he could almost have been just an ordinary boy, enjoying a sunny afternoon. Just an ordinary boy, nothing mad or bad about him. It was one of those moments that Hierocles wished could stay still forever.

Elagabalus noticed him watching him, and his laugh changed. “ _Huhuh._ What?”

Hierocles shook his head, still smiling. “Nothing.” 

This time, before Elagabalus had the chance to push the issue, Hierocles leaned down and kissed him, and for a while Elagabalus was more than happy to stay down there, in the shade beneath the vines, and not try anything else crazy for the time being.


End file.
